SCHOOLS: Portrait of problems

Ostensibly the mission of any school district is to articulate the educational goals of the school and steps to achieve them. Idaho school districts may exercise their own discretion in setting educational standards and in adopting a curriculum to meet them.

It was in the name of such “discretion” that Coeur d’Alene school administrators decided to use the “Portrait of a Graduate” and the underlying “Social and Emotional Learning” framework (SEL) as the guiding framework for Coeur d’Alene schools curriculum. In spite of the fact that SEL is described in benign terms, it masks a profound departure from the traditional goals of education.

Embracing this approach, Coeur d’Alene schools with the SEL framework have taken on the traditional parental goals of integrating children’s personal and social identities, identifying emotions, examining prejudices and biases, and developing interests and a sense of purpose (CASEL website https://casel.org/sel-framework/).

In essence, Coeur d’Alene schools are attempting to replace parents and families as the source for acculturation. Through the Portrait of a Graduate, children will be taught by trained staff to “create a culturally-responsive environment,” “which involves critically reflecting on one’s attitudes and beliefs about oneself and others to uncover biases.” (CASEL)

In exercising its “discretion,” the Coeur d’Alene School District has departed dramatically from the spirit if not the letter of the Idaho Content Standards published by the Idaho State Department of Education (https://www.sde.idaho.gov/academic/standards/). Parents should be outraged.

KEN VAN VOORHEES

Hayden Lake